Ed Asner: 'Hannity's next ... just like we went after Limbaugh'

wnd.com/ ^ | October 10, 2003 | Kevin McCullough

[ThreePuttinDude]

Ed Asner: 'Hannity's next ... just like we went after Limbaugh'

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Posted: October 10, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

In the news this week are several reports of an exchange between syndicated talk-show host Mike Gallagher and actor-turned-leftist-poster-child Edward Asner.

The account goes like this: Mike Gallagher approached Asner at a recent cocktail party promoting the new film "Elf" in which Asner stars as Santa Claus. As Gallagher introduced himself, Asner asked his profession. When Gallagher replied "radio talk-show host," Asner replied, "I love going toe-to-toe with you guys.''

''I know,'' Gallagher replied. ''I've heard you on Sean Hannity's show.''

''Hannity's next, you know,'' Asner responded.

''Huh?'' said Gallagher.

''Hannity's next,'' said Asner. ''We're going after him just like we went after Limbaugh. And you saw what happened to Rush this week, right?''

I can attest to these news reports because I was there. Standing not more than 10 feet from where the conversation was happening. Shortly afterward, as Mike and I were exiting the party, we were chatting on the elevator of the Empire State building.

"Kevin did you hear what he said?" Mike exclaimed, "That was a truly strange experience." And he then proceeded to relate the story to the rest of the folks riding with us in the elevator.

The following day, as a part of the same film junket, I found myself sitting in a room with Mike and several others waiting for Mr. Asner to field his questions from us regarding the release of "Elf" – a movie that I believe will be huge at the box office this holiday season.

As Mr. Asner walked in, he saw both Mike and me sitting at the end of the table closest to him and quickly quipped, "What is this? The Salem witch trials?" This, of course, being a play on words alluding to Mike being a syndicated talk-show host for Salem Radio Network (and heard on better than 200 stations), and that I had just taken over as the host on the legendary New York's WMCA 570 "Home of the Good Guys," also a Salem property.

Upon seating himself at the end of the table and making small talk about cookies and cupcakes – he did seem to be in a particularly jovial mood – he asked point blank: "Does anyone at this table hate me? Hate my work as an activist or in any other way?"

It was such an odd question that the room fell dead silent for a moment before breaking into the short amount of time he had for questions about the film.

As he answered questions about the film, he often broke into stories about his days gone by, and even his reasons for getting involved in left-wing politics. He even talked somewhat reflectively about one of his first acting gigs, playing Santa for the downtown Chicago Marshall Field's store.

"It was the worst job I ever had," said Asner. "All I could do was put these poor – extremely poor – kids on my lap and say to them, 'Well Johnny, well Susie, Santa's gonna see what he can do about getting that for you. Knowing full well that these kids' parents were so poor that more than half these kids had no chance of ever seeing the gifts they asked for. It was just awful.'"

By the end of his time with us, I had not asked him a specific question yet, and in my mind I could not get away from the scene from the party of the night previous.

"Mr. Asner, I do have a question – unrelated to the film," I said. "In your long and distinguished acting career, going back to your earliest days in Chicago all the way up to present days working with Will Farrell on 'Elf', you have had the chance to do almost anything you could ever wish to do. But if you had the chance to play the biographical story of a historical figure you respected most over your lifetime, who would it be?"

Remembering the sad story he had told about the poor kids in Chicago, I half expected him to come out with a political name of some sort.

"I think Joe Stalin was a guy that was hugely misunderstood," said Asner. "And to this day, I don't think I have ever seen an adequate job done of telling the story of Joe Stalin, so I guess my answer would have to be Joe Stalin."

Suddenly the time had run out, and for the third time in less than 18 hours, Ed Asner had puzzled the room he was in, into a stunned and disbelieving silence.

Mr. Hannity ... I don't think you have anything to worry about.

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[Sacajaweau]

Interesting.

[JesseHousman]

Who's Ed Assner?

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[backhoe]

I believe we need a new name for our "friends" on the 'rat side-- how about "Assassins?"

[Northern Yankee]

What an absolute disgrace this guy is.

Gee... he hates playing Santa Claus because he can't give a few moments of joy to boys and girls because they might not have Christmas toys on Christmas day, but he loves, admires, and wants to play Joe Stalin who brought death and destruction to millions of Russian famlilies.

What an odd, twisted guy.

[camle]

ping

[ThreePuttinDude]

How about Assnears HERO....nice choice /sarc>

AP 

TIME named Joseph Stalin Man of the Year in 1942

Joseph Stalin

On the death of Lenin in 1924, Joseph Stalin took control of the Soviet Union, instituting policies of nationalization and agricultural collectivization that fomented civil war and famine as well as cultivating a cult of personality. TIME described this public worship: "Joseph Stalin has gone a long way toward deifying himself while alive. No flattery is too transparent, no compliment too broad for him. He became the fountain of all Socialist wisdom" (1/1/40).

Stalin established a reign of terror that included mass arrests, executions and deportations. He also rallied his troops to beat back a German invasion in some of the bloodiest fighting of World War II. At his death on March 1, 1953, there was a mass outpouring of grief; at a 1956 Party Congress, successor Nikita Khrushchev denounced him as a murderer. Stalin was twice TIME's Man of the Year, for 1939 and 1942.

[visualops]

To call Joseph Stalin the informal "Joe" is always disconcerting and somewhat creepy to me. How can one speak kindly of an embodiment of evil and then sleep soundly?
I am reminded of the Millenium episodes where evil personified surfaces in various people and wreaks its influence. You see it in the grocery store aisles.. demon.. person.. demon..person... ::::shivers:::

[visualops]

Stalin was twice TIME's Man of the Year, for 1939 and 1942

Among all the people on earth, they actually named him twice? Argh.

[bullseye1911]

Hey ED! One word....prozac.

[Bluebird Singing]

Anybody else from Chicago here reading this? I question whether extremely poor children were actually visiting Santa in the downtown Marshall Field's store. What do you think?

[aardvark1]

I think Asner was giving himself far too much credit for the Rush situation. He sounds to me like these terrorist groups that all try to claim responsibility for bombings.

[Jason Kauppinen]

This article reads like it could have been ripped out of "Atlas Shrugged".

[ThreePuttinDude]

Being from Chicago, my parents took my sister and myself
downtown during the Christmas holidays. I never remember
seeing "poor poor children", all I ever saw were kid like
us. Wide eyed and excited about seeing Mr. Claus. Once we
even saw Mrs. Claus with him, obviously that was a big hit
with me seeing as how I can recall this after 40 years....LOL

[kattracks]

Asner is a has been who's trying to make people believe he's somehow relevant.

[GirlyGirl2003]

Hey Ed, I have another "S" you can add to your last name to make it far more fitting and descriptive. You are a threat to liberty in America. The day will come when it is your name in lights. I hope you're sitting in front of a Republican Congress and you're being investigated for "unAmerican Activities" along with many of your pals who have changed their "D" for democrat to a "C" for Karl Marx.

[badmrbunny]

i don't think the russian people misunderstood stalin. millions starved, murdered, imprisoned. all their land and property stolen... nope, i think russia understood stalin pretty well. as for "taking" out rush and hannity, i say let asner keep talking. give him another drink. i guess i'd be drinking as well if my party kept getting it's ass kicked
every election. have you noticed that asner's jowls resemble that of a prize-winning pig at the state fair? maybe that could be a fallback career when he sobers up...

[The_Media_never_lie]

Well, if Ed thinks Stalin is so great then Beria must have been a swell guy?

What is the matter with Ed Asner's brain? At least we know who the enemies of the United States are, and Ed's high on the list.

[SauronOfMordor]

To call Joseph Stalin the informal "Joe" is always disconcerting and somewhat creepy to me. How can one speak kindly of an embodiment of evil and then sleep soundly?

After reading "Harvest of Sorrow" (about Stalin's deliberate famine in the Ukraine, and other books about his period, I'm just aghast.

Stalin murdered far more people than Hitler did -- but because Stalin was a beloved Leftist, he got a pass from the Left in the US